French TotalEnergies and Norwegian Equinor will exit their oil joint venture with PDVSA, Bloomberg has reported , citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter. TotalEnergies held a 30-percent stake in the Petrocedeno venture, and Equinor held 10 percent in the company. But now, both have transferred these stakes to the Venezuelan state-owned oil firm, according to the Bloomberg sources. The report said the news was expected to be confirmed by the Venezuelan government on Wednesday, but as of the time of writing, there was no official confirmation. Petrocedeno operates an oil field in Venezuela’s oil heartland, the Orinoco Belt, and an upgrader that blends the heavy crude produced in the Orinoco Belt with lighter hydrocarbons to make it easier to transport. Both TotalEnergies and Equinor have been present in Venezuela for decades. The companies stuck to Petrocedeno despite U.S. sanctions. Now, however, both companies are embarking on a course […]